USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 28685 — Traphill, North Carolina
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Sparta 3.5 SSW, NC (3,011 ft), 11 miles northwest.
Updated
In Traphill, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 22 in half of years and has passed by May 11 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 22, as early as October 8 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 180 days (NOAA, Sparta 3.5 SSW, NC).
- Last spring frost
- April 22
- First fall frost
- October 22
- Growing season
- 180 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 17
- Last snow
- March 3
- Winters with snow
- 95%
- Snow per year
- 18.6"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
21 of 22 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Traphill
Half of springs at Sparta 3.5 SSW, NC see their last 32°F night by April 22; only one in ten is past it by April 6, and one in ten still has one after May 11. Planting tender crops after April 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 11 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 90% of the 173 North Carolina stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 22 in half of years, as early as October 8 one year in ten, and holds off past November 3 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 31; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 27, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 180 days in a typical year, shorter than at 92% of the 173 North Carolina stations; it reaches 202 days one year in ten and falls short of 156 one year in ten. On average 108 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 13 days longer, to about May 5, and return around October 11. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 4 and March 2.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 18 | Apr 24 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 5 | May 8 | May 12 | May 16 | May 21 |
| 32°F | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 30 | May 5 | May 11 |
| 28°F | Mar 23 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 19 | Apr 27 |
| 24°F | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 10 |
| 20°F | Feb 24 | Mar 2 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 28 | Apr 2 |
| 16°F | Feb 7 | Feb 16 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 2 | Mar 7 | Mar 12 | Mar 18 | Mar 24 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 27 | Oct 2 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 |
| 32°F | Oct 8 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 3 |
| 28°F | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 14 |
| 24°F | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 28 |
| 20°F | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 12 |
| 16°F | Nov 15 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 15 | Dec 22 | Dec 31 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Sparta 3.5 SSW, NC, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 28685 →Compare Traphill with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Elkin, NC, 11 miles southeast of Traphill and 2,101 feet lower, has a last frost 7 days earlier (April 15), a first frost 4 days later (October 26), a season 14 days longer.
When it snows in Traphill, North Carolina
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Traphill usually arrives around December 17, and the last of the season around March 3. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Sparta 3.5 SSW, NC, 10.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 95% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 50 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 28685
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 11 – February 25 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 25 – March 11 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 25 – April 8 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 22 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 30 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 8 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 22 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 28685 is 11 miles from Sparta 3.5 SSW, NC, which stands at 3,011 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 28675 (Sparta). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 28685 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Frost dates across North Carolina →
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.